


Seven Years Later

by southsidewrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Lost Love, Love, Old Friends, Reader Insert, Romance, Second Chances, Whyte Wyrm, southside serpents, still in love, the one that got away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 07:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14515416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: Seven years ago, you left Riverdale for college and were forced to break up with your boyfriend Sweet Pea.  In the years since, you haven't so much as set foot in your hometown, scared of seeing him again.  Now, your father's just had a heart attack, and you need to rush home to see him.  No matter how much you want to keep the past behind you, you're going to be forced to face him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Thanks for checking this out. This fic was originally part of a draft of a much longer Sweet Pea x OC fic, but I ended up writing that a different way. I loved the idea so much though that I just had to publish it. I hope you enjoy!

When I stepped off the plane to see none other than Jughead Jones waiting for me, one thought crossed my mind:  _Why the fuck is he still wearing that goddamn beanie?_

“Hey, you,” Jughead greeted me, pulling me into a warm hug.  He was taller, broader, no longer the skinny kid I graduated with, but a man.  Guilt washed over me when I saw the simple gold band on his finger.  

“Jughead, I—you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” He took my bag from me. “This has got to be hard enough right now, and a taxi ride back to Riverdale would’ve cost you a fortune.”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Thanks.  Any news?”

“Well, he was definitely feeling better when I left.” Jughead chuckled. “I mean, he was cursing up a storm about how he had to have a goddamn heart attack to get his daughter to come home.”

Guilt washed over me again, and I wanted nothing more than to march myself back to the ticket counter and buy myself a one-way flight back to Chicago.  I was already missing my cozy apartment, my fluffy dog that had been with me since I rescued him as an undergrad.  

“I don’t know how I’m going to face him, Jughead.”

“Your dad?  What are you talking about?  He’s not mad, not really.  I mean, you fly him out to Chicago like twice a year and you meet him in New York all the time.  It’s–” He stopped when he saw my face. “Oh, you didn’t mean your dad.”

I shook my head. “No.  Dad gives me shit, but he doesn’t mean it.  I’m more concerned with–” I couldn’t bring myself to even say his name.

“I know.”

“Has he been there?”

“Hasn’t left his side.  He’s the closest thing he has to a father, you know.”

“I know, which is why I almost didn’t come.  I can’t bear the thought of facing him.” I clung tightly to my purse, and my head started to throb.  When we stepped out of the airport into the cool night air, it was bone-chilling instead of refreshing.  I sucked in a breath, and my lungs burned.

“He hasn’t been mad in a long time, like six years, eleven months.”

I scoffed. “It’s not his anger I’m worried about.  I broke his fucking heart.”

“You broke each other’s hearts,” Jughead corrected. “He would have hated himself if he didn’t let you go.”

“We could have been happy together,” I said softly.

“Not if you were stuck in Riverdale.” Jughead led me to his car and put my bag in the backseat. “No matter how much he loved you, you would never be happy in Riverdale, going to Sweetwater Community.  You knew that, he knew that, we all knew that.  You had to go.”

I bit my lip, holding back tears as I buckled my seatbelt. “We could have made it work.”

“It’s been seven years.  When are you going to stop telling yourself that?”

Resting my forehead on the cool glass of the window, I shook my head. “Probably never.”

“That’s not healthy.”

“My therapist keeps telling me that.” I sighed, my breath fogging up the glass. “I don’t know why I can’t let go of a one year, high school relationship from seven fucking years ago.  It’s downright pathetic.  Like, day to day, I’m fine.  I have friends, a social life, a great job, everything, but then I try to start a relationship, and I turn into one big basket case of unresolved emotional baggage.”

Jughead sighed slowly. “You’re going to have to face him, you know.  It’s not like you can spend any length of time in the Southside, with your dad, surrounded by Serpents, and avoid him completely.”

“I know.” I sat up and reached over to squeeze his hand. “And Jughead?”

“Yeah?”

“I am so sorry for missing your wedding.”

* * *

“Dad!” I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him sitting in his usual armchair, a glass of water in one hand and his phone in the other.

“Hey, kiddo.” His face cracked into a smile when he saw me. “It’s been too long.”

I rushed over and pulled him into a hug. “I was so fucking worried when the doctors called me, Dad.  Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

He laughed, holding me close. “No promises, kid.”

“I swear to god, Dad, I will move my ass home to burn every last cigarette and toss every last beer,” I warned. “Don’t think I won’t.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, kid, don’t worry.  You’re not the only one purging the house.” He gestured at the fridge. “Take a look—the kid cleared out everything that he deemed bad for my heart.”

My heart thumped in my chest.  Even he wouldn’t say his name in front of me.  It must have been obvious how much of a basket case I was.

“He left when I told him you landed,” he said. “First time I’ve gotten him out of here since the doctor’s cut me loose.”

Biting my lip, I shook my head. “I guess he doesn’t want to see me as badly as I don’t want to see him.”

“Not true.  His eyes fucking light up when he heard you were coming home.  He only left because he knew you’d want him to.  I mean, the kid’s no moron about why you never visit.”

I sighed, walking into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. “Dad, this visit is about you, not him.”

“And how long do you plan to stay?”

“I took off the rest of the week.”

“And you plan to avoid him for that long how?”

I shrugged. “A combination of hiding myself in my room and drinking exclusively on the Northside.”

“So you’re not going to visit Toni or Fangs, maybe F.P., Laura?”

“I don’t know, Dad.” I clenched my jaw in frustration. “I mean, yeah, I’d love to see them, but I’m sure as hell not setting foot in the Wyrm.”

“Whatever you say, kid, whatever you say.”

I sat down on the couch, fixing my gaze out the window.  It was the same view from seven years earlier.  It almost made me feel like nothing had changed.  Of course, that wasn’t the case.  Everything had changed.

* * *

After three days in Riverdale, I was going stir-crazy.  I had gotten to the point of getting in the truck and just driving down the Sweetwater River highway.  It used to be my go-to route when I needed to get away, and it still worked well.  Unfortunately, Laura hadn’t stopped texting me since I was home.  Although I had seen her semi-regularly since I moved, it had been months since we’d seen each other.

My phone rang from the seat next to me, and against my better judgment, I picked up.

“Hey, Laura.”

“Hey there, Miss Social Recluse.  Come to the Wyrm.”

“Not likely.”

“Oh, fuck off.  He’s with your Dad, which usually means he’ll be gone ‘till the old man goes to sleep.”

I rolled my eyes.  While everyone else felt awkward enough to dance around the subject, Laura was not having it.

“Fine.”

“Finally.  I’ll have a whiskey-coke waiting for you.”

“Make it a double.”

I could practically hear her smile. “See you soon.”

“See you soon.”

* * *

When I got to the Wyrm, it was just starting to get dark, and the familiar glow of the bar made my chest hurt.  I wondered if that was what a heart attack felt like—after all, it might run in the family.  Steeling my nerves, I pushed open the door, and it was like going back in time.  

The bar looked almost exactly the same—the same dingy bartop, the same red barstools, the same neon PBR sign behind the bar.  The only thing I could spot that was different was the TVs.  They had been replaced.  I couldn’t help but smile—the cracked TVs had always been a pet peeve of his, so it made sense that he replaced them when he took over as manager.

I pulled my sleeves down past my hands, grateful that I had worn a long sweater.  I could practically feel the snake insignia burning a hole in my forearm.  I’d never gotten rid of it, even when it meant I had to be extra careful what I wore to work.  A lawyer with a gang tattoo wasn’t exactly a good look.

“Well looks who’s here,” a deep, sing-songy voice called across the bar. “Back from the dead.”

I looked over to see Fangs sitting on a barstool.  My jaw almost dropped.  I didn’t think it was possible, but he had somehow gotten both bigger and hotter. “Fangs!” I walked over, my low heels tapping the wood floor. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you.”

He stood up and pulled me into a tight hug, his muscled arms wrapping around me that felt infinitely familiar. “It’s been too long.”    

“It has.” Before I could get another word out, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder.

“Alright, my turn.”

“Toni.” I couldn’t contain my smile.  Toni had barely aged a day.  Her pink hair was gone, replaced with her natural brunette, and her style had grown up a little bit, but she was still the same Toni.

“Hey, girl.” She hugged me, and she still smelled like vanilla. “I’ve missed the hell out of you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Okay, okay, everyone’s had their turns, and now it’s mine.”

Recognizing the voice immediately, I turned, my grin growing. “Laura Fogarty, you better be glad I came.”

Laughing, she nearly tackled me in a hug. “You don’t know how good it is to see you!” Lifting me off my feet, she swung me around as I shrieked with surprise.  

“Laura, you bitch!” I laughed.

She laughed harder, setting me back down for another hug. “God, I fucking missed you.  It is so good to see your Ivy League ass in Riverdale again.”

I rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s not the worst thing being back.”

We settled in for a drink, and the conversation flowed easily.  Jughead got there a few minutes later, and it almost felt like old times again.  If anyone was hyper-aware of the ex-boyfriend sized hole in the group, no one showed it.  

As we talked, I could practically feel his arm around me, resting in the spot just above my hips, holding me close like he needed the contact.  I swallowed the lump in my throat and washed it down with another sip of my drink.  Laura had lived up to her promise, and it was strong.

“So, how’s Chicago?”

I shrugged. “So far, I like it.  I don’t know how long I’m going to be there, though, because I’ve been getting some recruitment calls from firms in New York.”

“I bet your dad would love that,” Toni observed.

Smiling, I shook my head. “Yeah, he’s made it very clear where he’d rather I work.  It’s hard, though, because I do really like the firm I’m at now.”

The conversation was light, easy, and the drinks flowed freely.  We talked about Laura’s job teaching, Fangs’s promotion to manager at the garage, Jughead and Betty’s latest house drama, and Toni’s new Master’s degree.  After a while, the phantom arm faded, and I finally started to relax.  That should have been my cue to get the hell out.

Behind me, the door to the bar opened, and Laura cut off mid-sentence.  The look in her eyes told me all I needed to know.  As my heart sped up to a lightning pace, I gulped down the rest of my drink and turned around.

He was older, for sure.  His hair was longer, and slight laugh lines creased his eyes.  There was a new scar close to his hairline, and he seemed impossibly taller.  The Serpent coat he was wearing wasn’t new, but it wasn’t the same one I’d borrowed so many times.  Clearly, he was too big for that one, having filled out from a teen to a man.  His lips were the same, as were his hands.  I couldn’t look away from his hands.  Then, I was forced to look at his eyes.  Of course, they were the same, exactly the same.  In fact, they even held the same hurt expression I’d last seen over seven years earlier.

“Hey, Sweet Pea."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

“I was wondering when you were going to come out of hiding.”

His words felt like a knife being plunged into my chest.  I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and responded. “Didn’t know I was hiding, Pea.  I just haven’t felt like drinking much until now.”  

It was somehow both the truth and a lie.  While I had totally been hiding, I had never wanted to drink more in my twenty-five years of life than I did at that very second.  I felt like every eye on the bar was on us, and I wanted nothing more than to dive headfirst into a vat of whiskey and never come back.

He smirked, seeing through me in a heartbeat.  Apparently, seven years apart hadn’t cost him his ability to see right through me.

“Well, if you plan on sticking around, I’ll offer you a drink on the house.”

My body could have ripped in half from the indecision.  There was a part of me that wanted to sprint for the door without any consideration of how insane that would make me look, but there was also a part of me that wanted to stay.  Beneath all those layers of shame and hurt, though, there was the slightest pinprick of hope.  For what, I wasn’t sure, but I had to find out.

“Deal.”

My feet moved on autopilot as I walked to the corner of the bar to grab a seat.  Sweet Pea leaned on the bar from the other side.  From beneath his rolled-up flannel sleeves, I saw traces of new tattoos.  His dog tags were gone.

“Let me guess, you still drink whiskey-cokes, but you’ve upgraded from rail to Jack.” His lips were curved into a subtle grin.

I couldn’t contain my smile. “Okay, mind-reader, I’ll admit it—you got me.”

Chuckling slightly, he moved away to make the drink.  While I waited, I crossed and uncrossed my legs about a million times, incapable of making myself feel even vaguely comfortable.  I watched as he expertly put two drinks together—the mixer for me and on ice for himself.  I couldn’t help but stare at the fluid way he moved behind the bar, the ease with which he held himself.  If he was nervous, there was absolutely no sign of it.  I, on the other hand, may as well have been carrying a neon sign that screamed I am deeply uncomfortable.

He returned with the drinks and leaned back onto the bar. “So, first time back in Riverdale in seven years—that’s got to be weird.”

I scoffed. “Weird is an understatement.  It’s amazing how little’s changed.”

“I’d be more amazed by how much has changed.”

I swallowed a sip of my drink, relishing the way it burned down my throat.  Everything in me wanted to apologize, but it was seven years too late.  I must have paused for too long because Sweet Pea spoke up again.

“Do you remember the last thing I said to you before you left?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then nodded. “How could I forget?  You made me promise to never apologize for following my dreams.”

He smiled. “Yeah, so stop looking like you might throw up, please.  I mean, I have a new kid working the bar that I could make clean up, but what kind of manager would that make me?”

Laughing for real, I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“Really, you’re looking at me like I’m going to leap over the bar and stab you with a bottle opener or something.  There’s no way I could be that mad after seven years.”

“Feels like a lot less.”

“It does, doesn’t it?  You look good, by the way.”

Immediately, I wondered if he’d been observing me as closely as I’d been observing him.  Of course, he was—after memorizing every inch of someone’s body, it was only natural to want to see how it had changed.

“Thanks,” I managed.  Desperate for something to talk about, I went with the obvious. “So, manager of the Wyrm, congratulations.”

“Well, a really awesome girl gave me some advice seven years ago.” He smiled.  "Whatever you think you’re capable of, do one step better.“

Damn, he had a good memory.  I twirled my straw around my drink, smiling back at him. "So, then, what’s your next step?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.  I could always buy out the bar, but then I’m stuck here.”

My heart started racing at his words. “Planning to leave Riverdale sometime soon?”

“It’s crossed my mind.  Your dad’s been pushing me to get an MBA, and I’m starting to think it’s not a bad idea.”

“He gives good advice every now and then.”  

Smiling, he nodded. “Yeah, he does.  He convinced you to go to school, after all.”

I shook my head. “Nah, that was all you.”

“And I haven’t regretted it for a second.”

The conversation was quickly approaching a turn I didn’t want to take.  I clenched my drink tightly, my knuckles whitening. “Sweet Pea, can we not, right now?  It’s just–”

“It’s hard enough just seeing you.” His voice softened, and I saw the first hints that he might be hurting too.

“Yeah.”

He smiled sadly. “Well, how about you tell me about Chicago then?”

I sighed. “That I can do.”

* * *

 

“So kid, is Sweet Pea allowed to come over while you’re here, now?” Dad asked the second I walked into the house that night.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, he can.” I dropped my coat and purse on the couch and flopped face-first on the couch with a groan. “It’s really a shame you don’t have any alcohol in the house anymore.”

“You can thank the skyscraper for that.”

I smiled into the throw pillow at his use of his old nickname for Sweet Pea.  Then, I rolled over to face him. “I miss living with you sometimes, Dad.”  

“I miss living with you every now and then too.” He smiled softly, the smirk that I knew matched my own. “And in that spirit, I’m going to hashtagthrowbackthursday  it up in here and ask you overly-personal questions about Sweet Pea.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky it’s actually a Thursday or that would be the worst dad joke ever.”

“It was still pretty bad,” he laughed. “For real, though, how was it?”

I shrugged. “It could have been worse.  I mean, he didn’t curse me out and throw me out of the bar for breaking his heart.”

“He would never do something like that.  Deep down, he still loves the hell out of you.”

The feeling in my stomach could have been either nausea or butterflies.  Probably a combination of both. “Dad, you can’t say things like that to me.”

“I’m not going to lie to you, kid.  At the risk of sounding dramatic, he’s never really been exactly the same since.”

“None of us have,” I shot back. “We grew up.  No one’s quite the same as they were in high school.”

“You know what I mean.  We leaned on each other without you, and he’s like a son to me.  He was before you dated him, and he’s even more so now.  I know that kid, and I know that he’s never quite gotten over you.”

“That’s really not healthy.”

“Hypocritical much?  Avoiding your ex, and an entire town, for seven years post-breakup doesn’t exactly scream mentally stable.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Man, you sure didn’t sugarcoat that one.”

“You’re twenty-five.  You can handle it.”

“Can I though?”

“Well, you’ve got two and a half days left in town to figure it out.”

I swallowed hard.  How on earth was I supposed to resolve seven years of baggage in two and a half days?

* * *

 

“Alright, girl, now that you’ve faced your demon face to face, we’re going to talk about it.”

“Do we have to, Laura?” I groaned. “You promised me that we would have fun today.”  Friday morning, Laura showed up at my house demanding that I get dressed and ready for a day of Laura and me time. We were in the car driving to Greendale when she finally came at me with the hard stuff.

“And we will have fun after you start to resolve whatever weird hang-up you still have for Sweet Pea.”

“I really don’t want to talk about Sweet Pea.”

“Which is really fucking unhealthy for a seven-year-old breakup.”

“So I’ve been told.” That made my grand total three people who had told me how unhealthy it was since I’d arrived in Riverdale. “I’m starting to think that if my expensive-ass therapist can’t fix me, though, no one will.”

“And what has this expensive-ass therapist all suggested?”

“Talk to him,” I muttered, ready to jump headfirst out the window.

“Shocker.”

“I don’t need the sarcasm, Fogarty.”

“And I’m sick of having a loveless zombie for a best friend.” She gave me a pointed look. “You need to resolve this, girl.”

I sighed. “I know.”

“So, talk to me.  How was your conversation?”

“Short and shallow,” I replied. “I asked him not to get into it right there.”

She nodded, looking impressed. “Hey, at least you acknowledged that there was something to talk about.  How did he take it?”

“That was the only thing that threw him off a little.  He said it was hard enough just seeing me.” I started twisting my hair around my fingers, an anxious habit that I hadn’t done in years.

“Not surprising.  Dude was a wreck when he heard you were coming home.”

My hand dropped to my lap. “Really?”

“Yeah.  He’s almost as bad as you,” she said matter-of-factly.

I felt a twinge of guilt knowing that I should be talking to him about this instead of her.  My curiosity and deep desire to avoid confrontation got the better of me though. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll put it this way.  You were the first and last girl he ever invited to Thanksgiving.”

My breath caught in my throat, and it felt like someone unleashed an army of butterflies in my stomach. “Has he–” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“I think his record was six months with one girl, and that was mostly because she was in nursing school and they never really saw each other.” Her lips pressed tightly together. “It sucks to watch.  Of course, he says that he’s focusing on his career and is happy being single, but we all know that’s bullshit.”

“Damn, we’re even giving people the same line.”

“Yeah, unlike you, though, he didn’t get quite the same fresh start, so everyone knows he’s full of shit.” She glanced over at me as we pulled into the parking lot of the Greendale Mall. “And your record’s a little better.”

“If you’re talking about Conrad, I wouldn’t call that better.  I basically led the guy on for a year and dumped him when I realized he actually saw us having a future together.”

She laughed. “That is a fair assumption after a year, you know.”

I rolled my eyes. “I feel for the guy.  At least we ended up on different ends of the country.  He moved to L.A. to be a lawyer to the rich and famous.”

“And you’re doing what?  Practicing in Nowheresville, Midwest.”

“Chicago is not Nowheresville, Laura.” We climbed out of the car and started walking toward the café we were going to for lunch. “And I’m working at the best defense firm in the Midwest.”

“Yeah, after turning down offers from some of the best firms in New York.  You went to Harvard fucking Law—you can do better.”

“I don’t want to do better.”

“You don’t want to be within a day’s drive of Sweet Pea, you mean.”

I groaned loudly, coming to a stop in the parking lot. “Fine, I don’t, because that might give me hope that something might happen between us.  How fucking dumb is that?  I left the guy seven years ago to go to school.  Now, I have everything I could want, and I still just want to move back to fucking Riverdale and be with Sweet Pea.” My eyes were starting to water, and the cold air felt biting against my skin. “How the hell could that work, Laura?  How the hell do you get back together with someone after avoiding them for seven years?  How could I give up everything for a guy?”

“You wouldn’t be giving up anything.” He voice was soft as she led me out of the parking lot and to the sidewalk. “You’d be chasing the one thing that you’ve wanted more than anything ever since you were seventeen.”

I bit my lip, squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt not to cry. “But what if he doesn’t want to, Laura.  What if he’s smart enough to know that this won’t work?”

“Then he’ll miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and you’ll get the closure you so desperately need.”

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice then, do I?”

“You always have a choice.  No one’s going to stop you if you march down to the airport and get a ticket home tonight.  You know what that means, though.  Is it going to be any easier going home after having one unfulfilling conversation with him?  Or are you going to hate yourself for everything you didn’t say?”

“I honestly don’t know how I could go home feeling like this.” I sighed, running my hand through my messy hair. “Seeing him was even harder than I thought.  At the same time, though, it was so fucking easy.  Talking to him is like—like going home after a long day at work.”

Laura smiled softly. “Go get him.  For the love of all that is good and holy, go get him.”

“I think I have to try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

After a short, distracted lunch, I went to the one place I knew I’d be able to clear my head.

“Hey, Dad, can I borrow your bike?”

He gave me a skeptical look. “Do you even remember how?”

“Yes, I remember.” I held his gaze.

“Fine, don’t hurt her.  She’s like my second daughter, you know.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the keys, and headed for the door.  On autopilot, I put on the helmet, swung my leg over the bike, and got it started.  A nervous bolt of adrenaline shot through me as I pulled out of the driveway and into the road, and once my nerves subsided, it was exhilarating.  Driving through the familiar streets, I found myself drifting back in time, missing the slow, sleepy pace of Riverdale.  After living in New York, Boston, and Chicago, the empty streets along the Sweetwater River seemed to go on forever.

I forced myself to stay in the moment as I pulled into the small parking lot.  It was empty, and the Sweetwater River trail marker was as dilapidated as I remembered.  I couldn’t let the memories overtake me, especially not here of all places.  Parking the bike, I took off my helmet and started walking.  

It was fall, just like the first time I’d been there.  Dead leaves blanketed the gravel path, and I could hear the crunch with every step.  The trees were bare.  Drifting in the heavy wind, they looked almost like skeletons.

Symbolic, I thought to myself.  

When I reached the bridge over the river, I came to a stop.  My feet seemed frozen to the ground.  Exhaling slowly, I forced one foot in front of the other until I came to the grassy clearing under the bridge.  Like the rest of my surroundings, the grass was brown and dead.  With a painful, heaving breath, I folded my legs under me, dropping to the ground with a soft thump.

Staring into the rushing grey-ish brown water, I gave in to the memories.

* * *

_“C'mon, princess, one more kiss.”_

_“Shut up, Pea, I laugh, holding him at arm’s length. “You’re soaked.”_

_He reaches for me, his long arms easily moving past mine. “Yeah, because you pushed me into the river.”_

_“You deserved it, asshole.”_

_Smirking, he grabs me, holding me tight to his shirt and kissing me deeply. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too, Pea.”_

* * *

_“Oh my god, Fangs, shut up!” Toni laughs. “We get it—you like Keller.  You’re a raging gay disaster.”_

_“Okay, Miss In-Love-With-a-Blossom,” he jokes, passing her a joint._

_“You guys all suck,” I groan, leaning back into Sweet Pea’s arms. “Just fucking date each other and be happy already.”_

_“Hey, not all of us are madly in love with the perfect person,” Toni replies. “Some of us don’t have it that easy.”_

_“Do we have it that easy, babe?” Sweet Pea asks, his lips curving into a grin._

_I grin back. “I guess so.”_

* * *

_“I don’t know what to do, Pea,” I cry, tears running down my face. “I can’t leave you.”_

_“You have to princess,” he murmurs into the top of my head. “You have to.”_

_I cling tighter to his waist, never wanting to let go. “What if I–”_

_“Stop.  Please, babe, just stop.” His dark eyes glaze over with tears. “We’ve been over this a million times—you’ll never be happy here in Riverdale.”_

_“I’m happy now, Pea.”_

_“Are you?  You’re killing yourself over this, and you know it.  Go to Columbia.”_

_“I can’t make you wait for me.”_

_“I know.” He kisses my forehead. “And I wouldn’t want you to wait for me.  We always knew this might happen.”_

_“I didn’t know it would hurt so damn bad.”_

_“I guess I always kind of hoped it wouldn’t.” His voice breaks, and he starts to cry too. “God, I’m going to miss you.”_

_“I love you, Sweet Pea.”_

_“I love you too.”_

* * *

“I should’ve known you’d steal my spot.”

My head snapped up.  The voice was lower, older.  Slowly, I turned. “Sweet Pea?  What the hell are you doing here?”

His face furrowed in concern, and he walked over to drop into the grass next to me. “Why are you crying?”

“Man, this is not how I wanted to do this.” I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, praying that I didn’t look too terrible. “I’m amazed it took me this long.”

Cautiously, he moved closer, wrapping his arm around me. “You beat me—I was a fucking wreck as soon as Ron John told me.”

His arm around me felt so good that it hurt. “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea.”

“Hey, what did I say about apologizing?”

“I’m not apologizing for leaving.  I’m apologizing for avoiding you for seven years, for pushing the pain aside for so long that it nearly ate me alive.”  I took a deep breath. “I’m not okay, Pea, and I haven’t been for years.  It’s fucking pathetic, but leaving you ruined me.  It’s like part of me is still stuck back here in Riverdale, and no matter how hard I try, how expensive of a therapist a hire, or how many guys I try to date, I can’t move on.  It’s like I left a part of me with you that I can’t live without.”

He sat in silence for a moment, and the only sound was the rushing of the river.  The silence felt like ice seeping through my veins. With every second he didn’t say anything, I felt my body tense with fear.

“This can’t be real,” he finally said. “It’s not possible.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “I mean, Laura always told me that you were as fucked up as I was, but I thought she was just lying to make me feel better.  There’s no way you hadn’t moved on the second you left.  C'mon, a girl like you with a guy like me, it was doomed to failure.  I didn’t stand a chance.” He paused. “But hearing that, fuck, it makes me feel like I’m not a complete wreck after all.”

I chuckled tearfully. “No, we’re definitely both complete wrecks.  For real, now, who’s still pining over their high school sweetheart seven years later?”

He turned to look at me, his brown eyes warm. “People who never should have broken up in the first place.”

My heart raced. “Sweet Pea, we—I—how?

“I don’t care how.  I just know that we need to fucking try.  We didn’t try hard enough seven years ago, and we’ve both been living half-lives ever since.  Why the fuck would we do that again?  Neither of us are okay.”

“I live in Chicago.”

He scoffed. “Lame excuse.  You know any firm in New York would hire you.” He paused. “And I would drop fucking everything, the Wyrm, the Serpents, Toni, Fangs, even fucking Jughead, who’s grown on me more than I care to admit.  I would give it all up to be with you.”

“Pea, we’re adults.  You can’t say things like that anymore.”

“I can say whatever I damn well please, princess.” His voice rose in exasperation. “When I was eighteen, I was afraid to make those promises, afraid of leaving everything I knew behind.  I couldn’t do it, and I lost you because of it.  And you know what I’ve been thinking since?  I’ve been thinking that I’m too damn close to giving up, to blowing everything I have on alcohol and drinking until I hurt less.  All this time, I thought I was ruining myself over a girl who had moved on years earlier.  Do you know how goddamn pathetic that made me feel?  Now, you’re telling me that you’re doing just as bad, and you’re still making goddamn excuses.  Don’t you remember Thanksgiving?”

I was crying again, resting my head on my knees as my shoulders heaved gently.  I shook my head. “Of course I do.  How could I forget?”

“You were full of excuses then too.”

“And they were all shitty.” I swallowed hard. “I was just so afraid of trying.”

“And you still are.”

The silence was broken only by me trying to catch my breath. “I hate it when you do that, you know.”

“You’ve mentioned.”

“It’s not fair that you’re still so good at reading me.”

“It’s less fair that you’re still hot, like possibly more hot.  Don’t most people get less attractive in college?  Freshman fifteen or something like that?”

I burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Sweet Pea.” I wiped my eyes as I shook with laughter.  

“Just saying, the rich and powerful look looks good on you.” He nudged me playfully. “When I first saw you in the Wyrm, I could barely believe my eyes.  I knew it had to be you, though.  Who else shows up at the Whyte Wyrm in a lavender sweater?”

My shoulders were still shaking with laughter. “Hey, purple’s my favorite color.”

“And you still look good in it.” He smiled. “I’ve missed your smile.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“No shit.” Slowly, he took hand in his, flipping it so my palm was facing upwards.  Then, he pushed up the sleeve to reveal the dark ink hiding underneath. “You always were the least likely Serpent.” He ran his thumb gently over the sensitive skin, covering my arm in goosebumps.

“I probably should’ve gotten that removed,” I whispered. “Seeing as I haven’t been a Serpent in years.”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “Once a Serpent, always a Serpent.  You’d have to fuck up pretty bad to lose that.”

“And I suppose you get the final call now, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “I mean, kind of.” Biting his lip, he lifted my arm to his lips, kissing the tattoo softly.  His lips felt like fire on my skin, filling my icy veins with pure heat.

“Sweet Pea.”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate to press his lips into mine, cupping my cheek and pulling me impossibly close to him.  The familiar feeling was intoxicating, and my heart raced like I was a teenager being kissed for the first time all over again.  I parted my lips, drawing him closer.  He groaned into my lips, the sound a desperate mixture of pain and longing.  It could have been hours or seconds before we finally parted, our cheeks flushed and our hearts pounding.

“We have to try.” His voice was desperate. “Because this is not an end.  This can’t be an end.”

I smiled softly, brushing a dark lock of hair from his forehead. “How about a new beginning?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out some of my other fics for more Sweet Pea goodness!


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